The Controversial Way Gordon Ramsay Keeps Pasta From Sticking Together

Gordon Ramsay is known for a lot of things, like being outspoken against the over-usage of truffle oil in any one dish (yep, Gordon Ramsay believes many chefs don't use this bougie oil correctly), and his love of sticky toffee pudding (which is one of his favorite dishes served at most of his restaurants). But you might not have heard of his controversial take on how to keep boiling pasta from sticking together — he actually recommends adding a bit of olive oil (in addition to salting his water, as well as bringing to a rolling boil — neither of which have earned the contempt of pasta boiling experts, the way using oil has). "Olive oil in," he instructs (via Gordon Ramsay Hell's Kitchen). "That stops the pasta from sticking together."

The reason this practice is controversial is that adding oil to the boiling pasta water does make the noodles slick enough to not stick together, but then it also keeps them slick after you drain them. Because oil is lighter than water, it naturally gravitates toward the surface; when you drain your noodles into a colander, they'll pass through the oil, receiving a nice coating of it. If you're going to be adding a sauce to your pasta, like in spaghetti, the oil will keep the sauce from sticking to your noodles. But Ramsay's advice can still work in your favor in some applications.

There are some big pros, as well as cons, to using oil in your pasta water, but one instance where it's definitely okay to use Gordon Ramsay's advice is if you're making a pasta dish where oil is one of the base ingredients for the sauce, like an aglio e olio, or something with a pesto. In these instances, it's okay if the noodles come out of the boil oiled up, because you're just going to add more oil to them as you create your dish.

Also, another pro that Ramsay didn't mention, but which might come in handy for some cooks, is that the oil breaks the surface tension of the water as it boils, so it's a lot less likely to boil over. If you're a forgetful or preoccupied homecook and you need a safeguard against a water-stained stove, this could do the trick for you. But, just remember that if you're using any sauce other than that which is already oil-based, it likely won't cling to your pasta.